When I Come Around
by DaughteroftheOneTrueKing
Summary: Well, it's not like Pitch would stay in that hole with his nightmares, right? Of course not, it wouldn't be any fun otherwise, and Jack's all about fun. Not really, this is seriously bad news for the Guardians. Of course Pitch crawled out of that hole about a day later, extremely weakened, and has been trying to get his power back ever since.


Notes: In my story, Jamie is eleven when the movies occur. Sophie is a couple years older than portrayed, around six. Now Jamie is fourteen, turning fifteen soon, and Sophie is eleven.

"Jamie, you don't want to be late on the first day!" Mrs. Bennet called up the stairs to her son, who was still asleep. Jamie blinked groggily a few times, the late summer sun in his eyes. Today was the first day of school, and Jamie was beginning high school today. Sophie, his five years younger sister, was starting sixth grade.

"Coming, Mom!" Jamie yelled sleepily, rubbing his eyes to remove the crustiness from them. He sat up and put on his slippers, padding downstairs to the kitchen, where his mother was making breakfast, and Sophie was talking a mile a minute, as usual, chatting about boys in her grade she thought were hot, and those that were not, girls she was friends with, and girls she hated, style, and other trivial things.

Even at fourteen, Jamie Bennet still believed in the Guardians. Jack couldn't come around too much, since he had a lot to do as a Guardian, but whenever he had a chance, he would come around to Jamie's house, and the two would play. It was better in the winter, when they had snowball fights and went sledding, but Jamie was just as glad when he came in summertime.

He tried to keep the memory alive with his friends, but now only Cupcake, who had, since then, started using her real name, Elizabeth, believed. Even Sophie didn't really believe anymore.

Mrs. Bennet placed a plate with pancakes in front of Jamie, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Any plans for after school?" she asked him.

"Not really," Jamie answered, pouring syrup over his pancakes and beginning to eat, as his mother gave a plate to Sophie. "Elizabeth, the twins, and I talked about hanging out at the park for a while, but I don't know for sure. I'll let you know."

"All right," she smiled. "Hurry and get ready, or you're going to be late."

Jamie quickly finished his breakfast, and after a quick shower, put on jeans, a new polo shirt his mom had made him wear, and tennis shoes, grabbed his backpack and walked with Sophie to school.

"Good luck, sis," Jamie said, grinning at his sister as they were about to separate. "Remember, don't let Jack fool you. You'll love middle school!"

"Who?" Sophie asked, giving her brother a confused look.

Shaking his head, Jamie replied, "Nevermind, Sophie. See you later." He continued on, his heart saddened. Now even his sister didn't believe. Who was to say that Elizabeth didn't believe anymore, or any of his other friends? This was bad. Something was up, and Jamie was going to figure it out.

As he arrived at the high school, he thought, as soon as school lets out.

Jamie entered the school, where there were several upperclass girls with papers, who were telling the freshmen where to go for homeroom. Jamie walked up to a brunette girl, who asked, "What's your name?"

"Jamie-er, Jonathan Bennet," Jamie answered, reluctant to use his full first name. He had never liked it, and Jamie seemed like an appropriate nickname, so that's what he usually used, and he always corrected a teacher when they used it.

"You're here," the girl said, giving a bored sigh. "Mrs. Roderigo, room 312. It's on the second floor, left side of the building. Look for the number."

"Thanks," Jamie said, continuing on his way. He found the classroom just as the bell rang. He slid into a seat with a sigh as the teacher, Mrs. Roderigo, entered. She looked like a nice enough person, with pixie cut blonde hair, blue eyes, and she was fairly tall. In fact, most of the guys were snickering and pointing at her butt as she wrote something on the dry erase board. Jamie had never really seen girls that way.

"Ridiculous, aren't they?" a girl voice said. Jamie looked around to see a girl he didn't recognize was speaking to him. She had dark red hair, and thousands of freckles spread all around the pale skin of her face. Her dark brown eyes looked at Jamie with amusement in them, her lips in a small smile. She wasn't a beauty, but she was pretty in her own way. She made you want to look at her again, if only to count exactly how many freckles she had.

"Yeah," Jamie said. "Are you new? I don't recognize you."

"Yep, I'm the newbie," the girl grinned. "My family just moved here from Oklahoma."

"Wow," Jamie said, impressed. "Why would you come that far? The scenery?" he chuckled.

"Nope," the girl replied. "My mom grew up here, and we lost everything back in Oklahoma, so Mom decided she wanted to get back in contact with her family here, so, voila."

"Well, my story's not nearly as interesting as yours," Jamie said. "I was born here, and I've lived here in Burgess all my life. I've only left Maine once, when my family took a trip to New York City."

"That sounds fun." the girl said. "I hadn't ever left Oklahoma until we came here, so I'm pretty uninteresting." After a pause, she said, "My name's Aneka, by the way. Aneka Harwood. How about you? You got a name?"

"Yeah," Jamie said. "My full name's Jonathan, but everyone calls me Jamie, unless they don't know better, or my mom when I'm in trouble."

"So you get the full first name when you're in trouble," Aneka laughed. "I get my whole name." She paused, getting a fake serious look on her face, barely controlling laughter. "Aneka Grace Harwood! Get down here this instant!"

Jamie cracked up at Aneka's impression of her mother, which caused a couple people to look over, but not many, since the room was pretty noisy.

"Oh, that was funny," Jamie managed finally. "You're so much cooler than the rest of the dumbos here."

"Thank you, thank you very much," Aneka smirked, Elvis Presley style.

At just that moment, Mrs. Roderigo got their attention to give them schedules and other homeroom things. They had to be quiet, so Jamie turned straight in his seat. He didn't get a chance to speak to Aneka for the rest of homeroom. Just as they were leaving, Jamie noticed a note on his composition book.

Got anything planned after school? If not, meet me at the front doors right after school- Aneka.

Jamie was surprised that this girl had enough nerve to basically ask him out after only a few minutes talking. However, it didn't seem to matter, because he was waiting at the front doors of the school after the bell had rung to go home. Most people lived close enough to walk, so there were only a couple buses.

"Hey," a girl said behind him. Jame turned around to see Aneka approaching, a grin on her face. "Didn't know if you'd show or not."

"Was there something you wanted to do?" Jamie wondered. "Library? Movie?"

"I thought maybe you could show me around the town some," Aneka answered, as they began walking. "Show me some of your favorite spots. I've only been here a couple weeks, most of which was spent unpacking, so I haven't gotten to look around much."

Jamie knew just where he wanted to show her. "I know a place that's not in town, but it's one of my favorite places."

"Then what are you wating for, dummy!" Aneka said playfully. "Show me!"

Jamie led her towards the outskirts of the city, and through the forest to the lake. It wasn't frozen now, and you could just see fish swimming below the surface. It was silent, except for a few waves lapping every once in a while, and the occasional call of a bird.

"It's so peaceful here," Aneka commented, sitting on a rock by the shore. "I can see why you like it."

"I used to come here and read a lot when I was a kid," Jamie said. "I don't come as much anymore, but I still love it."

"There's almost something supernatural about it," Aneka said, wiggling her fingers, pretending to be scary.

"There's a story that a boy drowned here once," Jamie said.

"Do you know the story?" Aneka wondered.

"Kind of," Jamie said, even though he knew exactly what had happened here in 1709. "Three hundred years ago is when it happened. The boy's name was Jackson Overland. It was winter, and the lake was frozen. Jackson brought his little sister here to skate, and she got out onto thin ice. Jackson was on thicker ice, and couldn't get closer without breaking the ice and killing them both. He noticed a curved stick nearby, and the girl was close enough that he could use it to pull her closer, and to safety. He did so, but he slid onto the thin ice and fell through."

"So, he was a hero," Aneka said, pondering the story. "Did anyone ever find his body?"

"No," Jamie answered. "It wasn't until a few years ago that the lake was skimmed, and they never found anything, not even bones."

"Strange," Aneka said. "I guess the flesh would have decomposed after three hundred years, but there should have been something."

"Who knows why," Jamie said, knowing full well why. Jack was still alive, and would always be alive. "Some legends of the story say that the boy was ressurected and became known as Jack Frost."

"Well, that can't be true," Aneka said. "Jack Frost isn't real. But thanks for the story."

"Yeah," Jamie chuckled halfheartedly. "Hey, do you have to get back soon?"

Aneka looked at a watch on her wrist and shrugged. "I have until at least seven. Want to show me somewhere else you like?"

"Sure," Jamie said. He got up and started to head back into the forest, but an angry neigh stopped him. He turned around to see a horse made of pure black sand, changing and shifting, with eyes like molten gold. A Nightmare.

"What is that?" Aneka asked warily, eyeing the creature.

"A Nightmare," Jamie answered. "I don't know what it's doing here, but it's not good. Are you afraid right now?"

"What?" Aneka asked incredulously. "I'm not scared of it, it's just weird."

So it wasn't Aneka's fear the Nightmares had been attracted to.

And then Jamie realized: he had brought them here. He had been worrying all day that no one was believing in the Guardians anymore, and it had turned to genuine fear when he'd heard it from Aneka.

"It's my fault," Jamie said. "They smelled my fear. If you run, they won't follow you as long as you aren't scared."

"Like hell I'm going anywhere," Aneka said. At first there had only been one Nightmare, but now three more were coming into the clearing. "I'm going to help you get rid of these things if we can, and then you're going to explain to me what's going on."

"They can't be destroyed, they can be changed," Jamie told her. "You have to be unafraid, and then touch it, and it'll turn into dream sand."

The first Nightmare grew confident and charged. Jamie tried touching it, but it didn't turn, which only confirmed that it was his fear that had brought them. It ran past them, and turned around to try again.

"Aneka, do it," Jamie said. As the Nightmare passed, Aneka thrust her arm out, touching the black Nightmare sand. It turned golden, and floated around, taking a different shape. It formed a boy… a boy that looked suspiciously like Jamie himself. He didn't pay it much attention however. "Come on, we have enough time. I can get us somewhere safe."

The two of them raced through the woods, the other three Nightmares chasing after them. They ran all the way out of the forest, and to Jamie's house.

"Hurry!" Jamie said. "It's in my room!" Jamie entered his room, looking around for the snowglobe. Spotting it on his desk, he picked it up and said, "North Pole," to it. The snow inside it swirled, the image inside changing to a giant palace. Jamie had never been to the Pole, but Jack had given him the snow globe in case there was ever an emergency, and, well, this was an emergency.

Jamie smashed the snowglobe on the floor, and a swirling green and purple portal appeared.

"What's happening?" Aneka shouted.

"Do you trust me?" Jamie asked her. She nodded. "Then take my hand. We'll go through together."

He grabbed her hand, and they jumped into the portal, headed for the North Pole.

AN: How do you all like miss Aneka Grace Harwood? We'll learn more about her, and find out if she's telling Jamie the truth or what. And Aneka will find out about the Guardians. Chapter two coming soom to a computer screen near you!


End file.
